I took my 1-year-old to Disney's only hotel in Hawaii. With barely any activities for kids under 5, it wasn't worth the $775/night price.

Emily HochbergOct 29, 2022, 16:50 IST

At the pool at Aulani with my daughter.Emily Hochberg/Insider

I stayed at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa on Oahu, Hawaii, with my husband and 1-year-old child.
It's a huge resort loaded with Disney magic, six pools, a private beach, and so many activities.

This summer, I spent two nights at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa on Oahu, Hawaii, with my husband and 21-month-old daughter.

My daughter was excited to spot Mickey Mouse and other characters at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa.Emily Hochberg/Insider

She's never been to Disney parks, but we thought she'd love the beach, pools, and characters, while her dad and I were excited about the beautiful location.

The beach at Aulani was a big draw for us to visit.Emily Hochberg/Insider

It's not cheap. We booked our ocean-view room six weeks in advance and paid $775 a night. At the time, the cheapest standard view room ($550/night) was sold out.

The view of Aulani from our balcony.Emily Hochberg/Insider

With taxes and parking, the two-night stay ended up costing $1,900.

On the beach at Aulani.Emily Hochberg/Insider

That price was for one of the more affordable rooms with a garden view and the ocean in the distance.

The balcony of our room.Emily Hochberg/Insider

The room was 382 square feet with two queen beds and felt like any other standard hotel rooms I've booked.

Our hotel room.Emily Hochberg/Insider

We'd never usually pay so much, but Aulani felt like a splurge we could handle. The rest of our trip, we stayed at two other hotels; one was far cheaper, and the other we paid for with credit-card points.

My daughter watching TV.Emily Hochberg/Insider

We'd never usually pay so much, but Aulani felt like a splurge we could handle. The rest of our trip, we stayed at two other hotels; one was far cheaper, and the other we paid for with credit-card points.

Plus, I wanted to spend part of our time on Oahu in a more remote location. The property is spread over 21 oceanfront acres in Ko Olina, a coastal resort community about 40 minutes from Honolulu.

Aulani is located in Ko Olina on the island of Oahu.Google Maps

Plus, I wanted to spend part of our time on Oahu in a more remote location. The property is spread over 21 oceanfront acres in Ko Olina, a coastal resort community about 40 minutes from Honolulu.

The resort has six pools, a lazy river, daily character meet-and-greets, a private beach, and 10 dining options.

A view of the lazy river.Emily Hochberg/Insider

The resort has all sorts of activities, most of which are included in the nightly price. According to the hotel's website, more than 30 activities are complimentary, in addition to others that incur a small fee.

My daughter meeting Minnie.Emily Hochberg/Insider

The resort has all sorts of activities, most of which are included in the nightly price. According to the hotel's website, more than 30 activities are complimentary, in addition to others that incur a small fee.

On the hotel's app, I saw activities listed that included t-shirt art classes, scavenger hunts, movie nights, nature walks, ukulele lessons, and more.

Daily activities were listed on the hotel's app.Emily Hochberg/Insider

The only problem was, none of those activities applied to my daughter. At 21 months old, she was too young for every free, or premium, activity.

My daughter playing on the beach.Emily Hochberg/Insider

She was also too young for Aunty's Beach House, which is a complimentary kids' club with daily activities for children over 5.

Parents waiting outside Aunty's Place to pick up their kids.Emily Hochberg/Insider

Because of my daughter's young age, I felt like we only got a fraction of the value of our nightly room rate and what was included in each stay.

We posed with Minnie Mouse, one of the few activities available for my daughter's age group.Emily Hochberg/Insider

While my daughter had a blast in the splash pads and pools, and loved meeting Minnie and Moana, we couldn't do many of the things most people come to the hotel to enjoy.

Character meet-and-greets are free for all guests.Emily Hochberg/Insider

While my daughter had a blast in the splash pads and pools, and loved meeting Minnie and Moana, we couldn't do many of the things most people come to the hotel to enjoy.

Even those character meet-and-greets were limited, as we had to miss some to work in my daughter's nap schedule.

My daughter, ready to take a nap.Emily Hochberg/Insider

My daughter also needed to go to bed before any nightly events.

Sitting in bed with my girl.Emily Hochberg/Insider

She was also too young to zip down the big waterslide or explore the hotel's snorkeling reef, aside from viewing it in one area.

The snorkeling reef (L), my daughter watching swimmers and fish in the reef from the viewing area (R).Emily Hochberg/Insider

Since my daughter can't swim, more than half the pools were too big or deep for her. We really only brought her into this zero-entry pool with a shallow end ....

One of the six pools at Aulani.Emily Hochberg/Insider

... or two splash pad areas. One was intended for small children with several play areas, and the other had interactive fountains for toddlers and babies.

A large splash pad for young children with several play areas (L), and another intended for toddlers and babies with many fountains (R).Emily Hochberg/Insider

At the beach, we couldn't participate in standup paddleboarding or boat trips, given our daughter's age. We tried to play in the sand, but she didn't like to stay for very long.

Walking next to a boat for day trips at the beach.Emily Hochberg/Insider

At the beach, we couldn't participate in standup paddleboarding or boat trips, given our daughter's age. We tried to play in the sand, but she didn't like to stay for very long.

If my daughter was over 5, I would've signed her up for activities or brought her to Aunty's House to play with other kids while my husband and I relaxed.

Kids playing outside of Aunty's Beach House.Emily Hochberg/Insider

But even if it were just me and my husband visiting, we probably wouldn't stay at Aulani — though I'd definitely recommend it to couples who are big Disney fans or families with older kids.

The beach at Ko Olina.Emily Hochberg/Insider

But even if it were just me and my husband visiting, we probably wouldn't stay at Aulani — though I'd definitely recommend it to couples who are big Disney fans or families with older kids.

Overall, I think Aulani does a really nice job injecting Disney magic into a Hawaiian vacation, with more subtlety than a theme park. We didn't have a bad time — far from it.

We liked staying at Aulani but don't think it was really worth it to visit with such a young child.Emily Hochberg/Insider

Overall, I think Aulani does a really nice job injecting Disney magic into a Hawaiian vacation, with more subtlety than a theme park. We didn't have a bad time — far from it.

But for nearly $1,000 per night, I wouldn't return until my daughter is older and can take advantage of everything that price includes.

I liked Aulani, but think families with older children will see more value staying here.Emily Hochberg/Insider

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I took my 1-year-old to Disney's only hotel in Hawaii. With barely any activities for kids under 5, it wasn't worth the $775/night price.

This summer, I spent two nights at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa on Oahu, Hawaii, with my husband and 21-month-old daughter.

She's never been to Disney parks, but we thought she'd love the beach, pools, and characters, while her dad and I were excited about the beautiful location.

It's not cheap. We booked our ocean-view room six weeks in advance and paid $775 a night. At the time, the cheapest standard view room ($550/night) was sold out.

With taxes and parking, the two-night stay ended up costing $1,900.

That price was for one of the more affordable rooms with a garden view and the ocean in the distance.

The room was 382 square feet with two queen beds and felt like any other standard hotel rooms I've booked.

We'd never usually pay so much, but Aulani felt like a splurge we could handle. The rest of our trip, we stayed at two other hotels; one was far cheaper, and the other we paid for with credit-card points.

Plus, I wanted to spend part of our time on Oahu in a more remote location. The property is spread over 21 oceanfront acres in Ko Olina, a coastal resort community about 40 minutes from Honolulu.

The resort has six pools, a lazy river, daily character meet-and-greets, a private beach, and 10 dining options.

The resort has all sorts of activities, most of which are included in the nightly price. According to the hotel's website, more than 30 activities are complimentary, in addition to others that incur a small fee.

On the hotel's app, I saw activities listed that included t-shirt art classes, scavenger hunts, movie nights, nature walks, ukulele lessons, and more.

The only problem was, none of those activities applied to my daughter. At 21 months old, she was too young for every free, or premium, activity.

She was also too young for Aunty's Beach House, which is a complimentary kids' club with daily activities for children over 5.

Because of my daughter's young age, I felt like we only got a fraction of the value of our nightly room rate and what was included in each stay.

While my daughter had a blast in the splash pads and pools, and loved meeting Minnie and Moana, we couldn't do many of the things most people come to the hotel to enjoy.

Even those character meet-and-greets were limited, as we had to miss some to work in my daughter's nap schedule.

My daughter also needed to go to bed before any nightly events.

She was also too young to zip down the big waterslide or explore the hotel's snorkeling reef, aside from viewing it in one area.

Since my daughter can't swim, more than half the pools were too big or deep for her. We really only brought her into this zero-entry pool with a shallow end ....

... or two splash pad areas. One was intended for small children with several play areas, and the other had interactive fountains for toddlers and babies.

At the beach, we couldn't participate in standup paddleboarding or boat trips, given our daughter's age. We tried to play in the sand, but she didn't like to stay for very long.

If my daughter was over 5, I would've signed her up for activities or brought her to Aunty's House to play with other kids while my husband and I relaxed.

But even if it were just me and my husband visiting, we probably wouldn't stay at Aulani — though I'd definitely recommend it to couples who are big Disney fans or families with older kids.

Overall, I think Aulani does a really nice job injecting Disney magic into a Hawaiian vacation, with more subtlety than a theme park. We didn't have a bad time — far from it.

But for nearly $1,000 per night, I wouldn't return until my daughter is older and can take advantage of everything that price includes.